I run my fingers through her long, soft hair and kiss the top of her head. “I can’t, darling. I have to go to Americatomorrow.”
Her eyes widen. “Take me with you,” she says as she places her hands on my cheeks and gets right in my face. “Please, ZioAnt.”
“I can’t, Guila. Next time. Ipromise.”
She pouts and averts her eyes. “Why can’t you? I’ll begood.”
I pull her into my lap, feeling guilty that I haven’t spent enough time with my nieces lately and missing them like crazy. “I have business to take care of there, and you wouldn’t have any fun. It’s grown-upthings.”
She pauses for a moment and pulls at her downturned bottom lip. “Are you meeting awoman?”
“Why would you think that?” I tighten my hold on her, hugging her a little closer because the little girl makes me happier than anything and anyone in theworld.
“Because you said grown-up things. I know whenMammasays it’s grown-up time, we’re not allowed to go into theirbedroom.”
I start to laugh, unable to hold it back. “Darling,” I say as I kiss her head, waiting for my laughter to break before I answer her question. “I’ll be there onbusiness.”
She leans back, intertwining her fingers with mine. “You need a wife,Zio.”
I stare down at her tiny hands next to mine and realize how quickly she’s grown. It feels like only a few days have passed since the day she was born and I held her in my arms and promised her the world. “Who told youthat?”
“I hearMammaandNonnasaying it all thetime.”
I hang my head, burying my face in her hair and wishing she still had that baby smell. As for my mother and sister, they need to worry about other things and not so much about my lovelife.
“They say you’re a playboy. I don’t know what that is, but I do like to play,Zio.”
“Ah, love. I wish I had time to play today, but I promise soon I’ll take you and your sister away for aweekend.”
“To the beach?” she asks, quickly forgetting about the word playboy. I didn’t want to have to explain that to my niece, and shame on my sister and mother for not realizing the girls were listening and memorizing every word they weresaying.
“Anywhere you want,Guila.”
She bounces in my lap with excitement as Catarina walks through the back door with a teary-eyed Amalia in her arms. “Sorry aboutthat.”
“It’s fine. I have to leave anyway and catch myflight.”
Amalia wiggles free from Cat’s arms and runs toward me. “You can’t go,” she says as she leaps into my lap with Guila, almost squishingher.
“I have to,baby.”
“No.” She clings to me like her sister. “Stay.”
God, I can’t imagine being Marcus, their father, and having to say goodbye to them for long periods of time. It would gut me completely to see their tears and sadness every time I had toleave.
“I’ll bring you presents from America,” I say because I’m a sucker, and buying them gifts is the only thing I know how to do to placatethem.
“Nice,” Catarina groans as she wipes away the dirt that Amalia’s little escapade has left behind. “You spoil them toomuch.”
“No such thing.” I kiss Amalia’s and Guila’s cheeks before easing them to stand on the floor between my legs. “My nieces deserveeverything.”
“I hope you have girls someday, so you see the error of yourways.”
“But,Mamma,you said he’s a playboy and won’t have children,” Guila says withinnocence.
Catarina peers over at me with an apologetic look, but I shrug it off because my sister has always thought of me as nothing more than a misogynistic male whore. “Don’t pay any attention to yourmamma. She’s not alwaysright.”
My little nieces make me a better version of myself. In the business world, I’m cut throat and feared. But when I’m around my family, especially Guila and Amalia, that part of me seems to meltaway.
